Special event

Freegal

Freegal is a downloadable music service providing access to millions of songs from many thousands of music labels, including Sony Music Entertainment. Library card holders can sign in and download up to five songs per week. The songs never expire and are yours to keep.

Getting started

Go to http://ezproxy.biblioottawalibrary.ca/sso/freegalmusic. You will be prompted to log in with your library card number, or catalogue username, and PIN. Once authenticated, you may browse by featured artist or album on the homepage, or use the search box to search for different artists, titles or genres.

Downloading and streaming

Customers are allotted five downloads per week and 3 hours streaming per day. The usage counter resets on Monday at 12:00 a.m. EST.

When you’ve found a song you wish to download, click the + icon and choose Download Now.

Next, choose Save File, and save the .mp3 file to a location on your computer. The file may save automatically to your Downloads folder, depending how your computer is configured.

Once the song has downloaded, you are free to play it on your computer, burn it to a CD or transfer it to a mobile device.

My downloads

If there is a problem downloading the file, or if you wish to download it to another device, you can access recent downloads from the left-hend menu.

From your recent downloads list, you can download each selection up to two additional times for up to two weeks after the initial download. After that, the song will disappear from this list. Re-downloading from this list will not count against your five-song limit per week.

Streaming

When you put your cursor over a song or an album, you will see a "Stream now" button come up. That's your cue to press that button and start listening. If you press that button on an album, the whole album will play in order. You can stream for up to 3 hours per day.

Using the Freegal App

If you have a mobile device, you can download the Freegal app, connect your library account, and download music without needing to re-authenticate each time.
The app is available from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store) for Android devices and the App Store for Apple devices. (Search forFreegal music.) Once you’ve installed the app, you’ll be prompted to locate Ottawa Public Library and sign in with your library card.

App compatibility notes

The Freegal Android app is unfortunately not compatible with Kindle Nook tablets. An app for the Kindle Fire is available as explained on Freegal’s FAQ page: http://freegalmusic.com/questions.

Creating Playlists

You can create your own or use “Freegal Playlists”. This is a list of pre-selected songs in a genre that you are sure to enjoy.

To create a playlist:

Click on “My Playlists” under “Streaming” on the left side of the page.

Click on “Create and Store Playlists”.

At the top center of the page, click on the “+” symbol next to “Saved Playlists”.

Name your playlist (ex. “The Boss”) and describe it (ex. “Bruce”).

In that box, click on “Create New Playlist” and your playlist is ready to add music.

Click on the “Home” page and start looking for music to add.

To add an album, move your cursor over an album cover and a =+ will appear. Click on that, and then add to your playlist of choice.

To add an individual song, click on the image until you see a play arrow and =+ sign. Pressing the =+ will allow you to add the song to your chosen playlist.

What if I have other questions not answered here?

You are encouraged to consult Freegal’s FAQ page athttp://freegalmusic.com/questions. Also feel free to use our Technical Help form to contact the library for assistance.